Method of texturing face brick



Feb. '16, 1932. H E. MwYA-TT- 1,84 ,383

METHOD OF TEXTURING FACE BRI CK Filed Dec. 14, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 16, 1932. E. M. WYATT I METHOD OF TEXTURING FACE BRICK Filed Dec. 14, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE EDWIN M. WYATT, OF MADISON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AIMFBIOAN FACE BRICK RESEARCFI CORPORATION, ACORPORATION OF ILLINOIS METHOD on TEXT U-RING FACE Baron 1 Application filed December 14, 1928. Serial No. 326,011.

This invention pertains to means by which bricks can be textured on a. fourth side when manufactured by the extrusion process.

In the process of manufacturing bricks by 5 extruding the plastic clay through a die and then cutting the extruded column into indi- I vidual bricks, the nature of the process is such that three sides only-of the advancing column are presented to the comb or other texturing' device which scores the plastic surface as the column advances in conformity wlth awell known treatment employed to increase the beauty of the resulting bricks. Many ways are known of imparting this texture bythe use of some kind of abradmg dev1ce,-but heretofore, so far as I am aware, the use of such a device has been confined to thetexturing of one, two or three of the normally exposed surfaces, which results in a brick having one of its long sides and both of its ends textured or ornamented in the mahnerstated.

No means have heretofore existed for tex-' turing the surfaces made by cutting the 001- umn into unit b-ricks'usuallythe broad-.01

four inch by eight inch face of a standard brick. In recently developed brick walls,

some of the bricks are set to expose their broad faces in the wall surface. This method of laying some ofthe bricks on edgeintroduces a pleasing variety in the appearance of the wall, creates air spaces withinthat keep the interior dry and better insulated, and saves expensive material and labor."

The walls so far builtwith brick thus showing their broad faces have been constructed of untextured bricks generally known in the trade as common bricks. Obviously, textured brick, generally, called face brick, cannot beused for such a wall 40 unless the bricks are textured on at least one of the broad faces intended-for exterior ex-; posure. Heretofore no practical means have; existed for thus texturing the broad faces of the bricks, and the object of my present invention is to provide a method whereby one of the broad faces, formed by cutting or severing the extruded column, may be textured in a manner conformable with thetexturing three] of the narrow V commonly applied to edges of the brick.-

In' texturing brick by the ordinary method, it is the practice to extrude the uncut column' from adie and to project it forwardly upon, a a

a traveling belt'or apron and between combs or texturingdevices which score the top and two sides'of the uncut column, after, which the advancing end of the column is cut or severed to thethickness of a brick, which presents the scoring on three of its edges.

In order to apply similar scoring :01? texturing to one of the broad faces, I provide means for upsetting the severed'brick sec;

tions as they'are advanced bythe traveling apron or other conveying means, and'thus I present one of the recently cut surfaces upwardly in position to be scoredby a supple- Inentalscoring or texturing device, so that after the bricks have been fully textured on three fedgesiand on one of the broad sides th'e'ywill be delivered to be fired or"'othe'rwise completed. 7

More in detail, my method consists in extruding the plastic clayso as to form a continuous rectangular advancing-column supv ported upon its under surface, texturing the advancing column on three sideswhilein uncut vcondition, severing the column into brick units, spacing the units somewhat from one another, upsetting the units to present one of the broad cut surfaces inparallel relation to the line of advance, bringing thisfreshly cut surface'int'ocontact with a'texturing de- V vice, and afterwards heat treating the textured bricks to harden and strengthen the bricks and render them'resistant to water.

In the drawings, Ihave shown in diagram I v V various appliances adapted to carry out the method in question, although it will be understood that I do not limit myself to any particular form of mechanism,- and that the devices as shown serve simply to exemplify the die of a brick machine and passing through texturing devices including a device 7 showing additional methods for, upsetting the bricks to expose the broad surface to the action of the texturing device, it being understood that in Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6' the die of the brick making machine is omitted.

- of the die.

Referring to Fig. 2, 1 illustrates the die of an extruding type of brick machine, from which issues the rectangular extruded column 20f plastic clay, whichis generally four by eight inches cross dimensions to conform to the length and breadth of a standard brick. 3 represents a simple texturing device which, as shown, is in the form of a three-part comb having teeth or prongs adapted to score the surface of the clay column as it is forced outwardly in uncut condition from the mouth It will be understood, however,

that the texturing device shown serves merely for'purposes of illustration, since many different formsof device are employed in the art for texturing the exposed surfaces of the clay column as it is forced outwardly from the mouth of the die. It will therefore be understood that the specific details of the-texturing device shown form no por-. tion of the present invention, since various A texturing devices may be employed in connection with the method herein described.

The textured portion of the advancing clay column, before it is out into individual brick sections, is represented by'the numeral 4, and the space marked at the point 5 is that occupied by a cutter, or cutting machine, of any suitable-form or character well known in the art, which serves to cutthe column into individual brick sections; and since the particular form of the cutter constitutes no POI'". tion of the present invention, it is not deemed necessary to show or describe such a device,

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it being understood, however, that a suitable cutter of any well known type is to be located at the point indicated.

The advancing uncut clay column-is supported upon the upper turn of a belt 6, and after the sections are severed at the point 5 they are shoved forwardly along a sheet metal platen 7 being forced forwardly by the advancing column behind. In each of the drawings, the part 7 represents the platen referred to, and 8 represents the green bricks which have been textured along their narrow faces after being cut and while still standing upwardly on their edges in thesame relation in which the uncut column wasextruded from the machine. j. I

Referring now in particular to Fig. 2, the

'brick sections 8, advancing atthe relatively,

brick takes its position upon the belt. .InqFig. 3, a modified arrangement 1s slow rate at which the column is extruded from the machine, are forced successively onto the upper turn of a more rapidly moving belt 9, which serves to suddenly draw or jerk away the outermost brick section from the advancing column and overturn it onto one of its broad faces, with the other recently cut face exposed in position to be engaged by the supplementary texturing device 10, which thus scores the broad faces of the brick sectipnsin lines or grooves extending transversely of the previously formed lines or grooves on the edges of the brick sections. The speed of the conveyor belt 9 must be sufficiently accelerated with relation to the rate of travel of the extruding clay column so that the brick sections will not only be jerked forwardly and drawn down into fiatwise relation, but will also be spread out suflicientlyto clear one another so that their upper surfaces will lie flush with one another in the same plane and thus be exposed evenly to the action of the texturing device. After the final texturing, the brick sections are carried forward to the point of delivery for final firing or other treatment. I

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 2, the forwardedge of the platen 7 is preferably spaced from the upper turn of the belt a little less than the width of a brick, and the brick is upset by the action of the belt in pulling the bottom edge forwardly, which presents the previously upper edge to the rear as the advancing shown, in which the platen 7 overhangs the belt 9, and is dewnturned at its forward edge to aifo-rd a-slight offset which serves-to upset the brick forwardly, instead of rearwardly as in Fig. 2.: In this case, also, it is necessary that the belt travel more rapidly than the extruding column, in order to properly space the upset bricks; but the actual upsetting is afforded, not as in Fig. 2 by the pull of the belt, but by the sliding off of the bricks at the down curved end of the stationary platen. In other respects the mechanism shown in Fig. 2 18 similar to that heretofore described.

' In Fig. 4, the platen 7 is provided with l a downturned lip 7? at its forward end, which causes the brick sections to fall forwardly on to the obliquely traveling turn of a belt'll provided with spaced'lugs 12 which afford supports or carriers for the bricks which travel obliquely upward at this point andover a roller 13 which supports the horizontal up per turn of the beltwhich carries forward the bricks in spaced relation beneath a texturing tool 10 similar to that heretofore described.

In the case of Fig. 4 the speed of the belt when standing edgewise in the extruded 001 each lug 12 as it goes into proximate relation to the lip 7.

In Fig. 5, the stationary platen 7 aligns closely with the upper turn of a belt9 and terminates in close relation to it, so that the brick sections forced forwardly onto the belt will be carried forward by the more rapidly traveling belt, but continue standing on edge until their upper edges are engaged by a stationary finger 14 which upsets the brick sections rearwardly in proper relation to bring them under the texturing tool 10, which scores the exposed fiat surfaces.

In Fig. 6, the forward end of the platen 7 6 lies in closely adjacent relation to the upwardly lifting turn of a belt 9 which passes over upper and lower rollers 15 and 16 respectives ly. This turn of the belt is in sagging relation, so that the bricks as they first pass onto the belt will be separated but continue to stand on edge until they approach the upper roller 16, at which point the slack ofthe belt is sufficient to upset the brick sections backwardly, after which they are carried over the roller and onto the fiat upper turn of the belt in spaced relation and in upon by the scoring tool.

Although the various mechanisms shown and described differ in details, they all provide means for spacing the brick sections and then upsetting them to present one of the broad faces to the action of the supplementary texturing tool. Properprovision must be made for the required spacing, in order to compensate for the greater space occupied by the brick sections when lying fiatwiseth'an umn. While the various appliances conform in each instance to these requirements, it will be understood that other devices hav-- ing a like capacity may be employed in the method and process of the present invention, and that it is not the intention tolimit the practice thereof to any particular mechanism, since any adequate means, including manual manipulation, may be utilized to upset the bricks in preparation for the final scoring operation. 7

Although the drawings illustrate but one type of a very simple texturing device, it is to be understood that any kind of texturing apparatus adapted to act upon a brick section may be used in practicing the method of the present invention. Also, in the text, I have referred to what is generally called a four by eight clay column, which is of a size generally employed in the making of standard bricks, but it will be understood that the means for turning the bricks herein disclosed are to be considered as applicable to any size and shape of column suitable for the making of bricks or bricklike blocks, and it will be further understood that the fourth face textured after the upset of the brick sections is not necessarily the broad face, but that the position to be acted prises continuously extruding plastic mate rial in the form of a plastic column su ported upon its lower surface, texturing sai plastic material upon an exposed surface'ofisaid column, cutting said column-into units, turning said units to expose a cutsurface of one of said units, conveying said units forwardly,

and texturing said cut surface.

2. The method of making brick which comprises continuously extruding plastic material in the form of a plastic column supported upon its lower surface, texturing said plastic material upon an exposed surface of said column, cutting said column into units, turning said unitsto expose a cut surface of one of said units, conveying said units for wardly, texturing said surface, and heat treating said textured bricks to harden and strengthenv and render said bricks water and heatresistant a) 3. The method making brick which come prises continuously extruding plasticclay in theform of a plastic column, supporting said 7 plastic column upon its lower surface, tex-f turing said plastic col umnuponan exposed surface, cutting said column into lengths,

turning said lengths upon a cut surface, conveying'said lengths in a forward direction,

and texturing the other of said out surfaces.

a. The methodof making brick which comprlses continuously extruding plastic clay in theform of a plastic column supporting said plastic columnupon, its lower surface, texturing said plastic column upon an exposed surface, cutting said column into, lengths, turning sald lengths'upon a' cutsurface, cone veying said lengths in'a forward direction,

texturing the other of said cut surfaces, and

heat treating said textured bricks to harden,

strengthen and render heat resistant. a

5. The method of making brick which comsaid brick water and prises extrudin'g plastic clay tofforma continuous column, supporting said plastic coL umn upon its lower surface, texturing said column; upon its exposed surfaces, cutting said column into lengths, spacing said lengths from one another, texturing said lengths upon at least one of the cut surfaces, and finishing said lengths by a heat treatment.

6. The steps in the method of making brick which comprise suporting a column of plastic clay upon its lowermost surface, texturing said plastic column upon its exposed surfaces, cutting said column into lengths, and

te xturing at least one of'said cut surfaces.

7. The'steps in the method of making brick which comprise supporting a column of plastic clay upon its lowermost surface, advancing said column into coacting relation with a texturing device to score its exposed surface, cutting said column into lengths, severally upsetting said unit lengths to expose the cut surfaces, accelerating the ad- Vance of said unit lengths to spread the same in fiatwise relation and to expose the cut surfaces in a uniform plane, and bringing said surfaces into coacting relation with a texturing device.

' 8. The method of making brick which com- I prises continuously extruding plastic clay in the form of an advancing rectangular column, supporting said plastic column upon its lower surface, cutting said column into unit lengths, accelerating the speed of advance of said unit lengths and upsetting them in flatwise relation one behind another with their cut surfaces exposed, and bringing said out surfaces'into coacting relation with a teX- turing device.

- 9. The methodof making brick which com-V prises continuously extruding plastic clay in the form of an advancing rectangular column, supporting said'plastic column upon its lower surface, causing said column to co- 'act with a teXturing device to score an exposed surface thereof, cuttlng said column into unit lengths, accelerating the speed of advance of said unit lengths and upsetting them in fiatwise relation one behind another With their out surfaces exposed, and bring said out surfaces into coacting relation with a texturing device.

10. The method or making brick which comprises continuously extruding plastic clay in the form of an advancing column,

cutting said column into unit lengths, upsetting said unit lengths to expose the cut surfaces, and texturing said surfaces.

lLThe method of making brick which comprises continuously extruding plastic clay in the form of an advanclng rectangular column, supporting said plastic column upon its lower surface, cutting said column into unit lengths, and presenting said out surfaces to the action of a texturing device. I

In Witness that I claimthe forego ng I have hereunto subscribedmy name this 26th day of November, 1928.

EDWIN M. WYATT. 

